The present invention relates to process flow charts, and more specifically, to an interactive, multimedia process flow chart builder.
Process flow charts can be useful in a number of environments. As one example, in a manufacturing environment, a number of different issues can arise when assembling complex systems that include multiple subsystems. There can be dozens of potential failure modes associated with various subsystems. Upon identifying a failure, a technician must determine the root cause of the failure and correct it such that the final assembled system can operate properly. Troubleshooting documents may be prepared to assist technicians with determining the root cause of the problem and how to fix it. In a broader sense, any type of process flow documents may be created to guide users through a process that includes many actions and decisions. Process flow chart documents can be difficult to work with as some are overly detailed and technical, while others can be overly simplistic and lack sufficient information or explanation of methodology.
Flow charts can be helpful when created for troubleshooting, as well as outlining a specific process. Flow charts can enable a technician to follow a path of tests and decision points to work towards identifying a root cause and associated remedy, or in a broader sense, a flow chart can guide users through the steps necessary to complete a process that includes many actions and decisions. However, a collection of flow charts can also be challenging to deal with when there are a large number of flow charts to search through and a large number of steps and paths within each flow chart.
Flow chart development tools often involve complex configuration and layout options that result in a long training period and a cumbersome flow chart creation process for flow chart developers. While a large number of options in a flow chart development tool can provide for a wide range of customizations, it also increases the likelihood of non-uniform flow chart design when multiple flow chart developers are involved. Overly complex and/or non-uniform flow charts can result in greater effort by flow chart users to understand the flow charts and makes automated flow chart analysis tools more difficult to implement.